Don't forget to check out Joules' companion FullMoon sequence!
Exile pt 4
"Tella's not going to be very happy with you, supporting me like this."
Nonnia chuckled and stroked Mahrayne's hair.
"It won't be the first time, precious."
The two Hassinan were on their way to the neighbouring planet of G'geckah, ostensibly for Mahrayne to have tests to determine if her unborn child was viable, but in reality, to get her out of the way while the Lead Speaker executed damage control.
Mahrayne had known her parents weren't going to be pleased with her pregnancy, but she'd been shocked when her father said it should be terminated. Would she meekly have let them kill her baby? Mahrayne tensed as a surge of fury shook her. If her parents had tried to enforce their decision Mahrayne would have run like a lhutach to the Korijin for protection. But fate, in the form of Marldus, had intervened and an evil thing had been averted.
The depths of Mahrayne's anger scared her. Yes, children had been killed in the past, but never deliberately before they were born. The Hassinan rationale was that a non-viable child would miscarry anyway - or be still-born - and if by some chance they were born alive but too damaged to live, then they were gently, regretfully, passed on then mourned as deeply as any other Hassinan. That her parents had been willing, eager, to circumvent the natural order of things sickened her.
It wasn't until the shuttle was about to dock with the transfer point that Mahrayne pulled out of her introspection enough to notice Nonnia's trembling. The white-haired female yet again silently cursed herself for her thoughtlessness. Nonnia had only ever traveled between her birth Settlement and Marldus's - and the older female didn't have Mahrayne's urge to explore: going off-world must be very unsettling for her. It occurred to Mahrayne then just how much her tertera must care for her if she was willing to accompany her into a frighteningly unknown situation.
Mahrayne smiled reassuringly at the nervous female.
"It's only a short journey to G'geckah."
Nonnia nodded tightly, her slim hand bruisingly gripping Mahrayne's own.
The older Hassinan chanced to look out of a viewport while they boarded the interplanetary shuttle. She blanched and clutched at Mahrayne for support, her eyes enormous and her breathing rapid and shallow as she realised the immense, streaky grey object floating beneath her feet was Hassina.
"Is it safe here?" Nonnia whispered, "will this - " she floundered for the right word, any word " - thing fall out of the sky?"
"No it won't." Mahrayne said soothingly. "In fact it's probably safer here than on Hassina; at least there's no chance of rock-fall here."
Nonnia's smile was thin and fleeting, and while she appreciated the attempt to hearten her, she didn't let go of Mahrayne's hand until the shuttle pilot had given them the 'all clear' after landing on G'geckah.
Mahrayne had made a study of the jungle planet over the years, and in an effort to distract Nonnia during the short flight she told the older female everything she knew about it.
G'geckah was tiny compared to massive Hassina, and much warmer, being closer to the system's sun. Its gravity was lighter even than Vejiitasei and it was covered in thick jungle, interspersed with small bodies of water connected by free-flowing canals. G'geckah had two seasons, the Warm and the Hot - it was the middle of the Warm season where they were headed - and it was always humid, and often wet. The G'gecks lived partially underground, for climate control to some extent, but mostly because it was easier to dig down than to try and clear building space amongst the fast-growing and tenacious plant life. The jungle seethed with life of all descriptions, but there were no truly dangerous animals - the danger came from some of the plants, and the boggy, swampy areas where a person could disappear within seconds beneath the stinking mud. Not that there were many of those areas left - Mahrayne hastened to add - the G'gecks had put a lot of energy into making their planet safe and comfortable.
The shuttle door opened and Mahrayne's lingering anger over her parents' treatment of her was abruptly shunted aside by her excitement at finally being able to see G'geckah. She felt dizzy with anticipation - or it could just be the lighter gravity…
Nonnia stumbled as they stepped off the shuttle and into the enclosed G'geckan spaceport, and would have tripped, if Mahrayne hadn't reached out to steady her.
"You'll get used to the lighter gravity, Nonnia," Mahrayne reassured her, "just move slowly for the time being."
A G'geckan came forward to greet them, his bright yellow skin indicating his youth. The being introduced himself as Gzgh and Mahrayne was wide-eyed and enthralled at her first meeting with one of his species. Gzgh wasn't his name so much as a job description - in this case 'guide'. G'geckan was unpronounceable to Hassinan, and their names couldn't be translated into Common, so the Hassinan that had contact with the G'gecks - instead of spraining their tongues - used a series of abbreviated syllables, devised centuries ago, and substituted short titles for names.
Mahrayne knew the G'geckans were asexual so the words 'his' and 'he' weren't at all accurate in describing Gzgh, but they were convenient labels. She had been astounded when she found out how the aliens reproduced. The G'geckans 'budded', a new individual forming under the skin of an adult's back after its parent had shared genetic material with another adult via some of the specialised tentacles in their necks. The young G'geck grew out from its host until it was developed enough to detach and live independently.
It was all very intriguing and Mahrayne really hoped she'd get to see a 'budding' G'geck.
"Your quarters are waiting for you," Gzgh said in sibilant, almost wet sounding Common, "we thought you might like to spend the rest of the day relaxing. We can begin the testing tomorrow?"
Mahrayne translated for Nonnia, who couldn't speak Common, and they followed their guide out of the spaceport.
The G'geck dwellings were constructed from a compounded stone mixture and covered with a smooth layer of coloured clay; they rose out of the thick vegetation like deep and narrow inverted bowls.
Gzgh took the females underground to an area specifically designed for Hassinan. It was cool and dim inside the rooms; there were colourful rugs on the floor and the curved walls were mostly covered in bright wall-hangings. Mahrayne inspected them closely; they were Hassinan and quite old, and - going by the different styles of decoration - Mahrayne thought they might have come from many different settlements.
It was around midday, local time, so shortly after they'd arrived, food and drink was delivered to their quarters. Nonnia sniffed tentatively at the heaped platter of mixed meat before nibbling on a strip of some sort of fish. Mahrayne found she was ravenous, and under her tertera's amused gaze, stuffed herself full of the delicious food.
Gzgh appeared again after they'd eaten and offered them a tour of the facility. Nonnia would have refused but she had to give in to Mahrayne's wide-eyed appeal.
The building they were in had ten levels - four of them above ground - and over the course of the afternoon, it seemed that Gzgh showed them most of it. Their guide was friendly, and talkative, pointing out things of interest and giving them a running commentary. They traveled between levels in a large, transparent box that, somehow, moved freely up and down a chute. Nonnia didn't seem to be as impressed with this as Mahrayne was and she stood very close to her terteria whenever the box moved.
Fascinating as the tour was, there was something Mahrayne had been itching to do since they'd landed.
"Is there somewhere we can go outside?" Mahrayne eagerly asked Gzgh. The young G'geck's mouth slit quirked and the frill of tentacles around his thick neck rippled softly.
He took them to the topmost level of the building, to an observation point - a shallow walk-way with a curving, glass fronted balcony. Nonnia peeked out through the glass to the expanse of sky beyond, then shook her head firmly and retreated back to sit on a bench next to the inner wall.
The pale red sun was setting as Mahrayne stepped out onto the balcony. It felt like forever since she'd stood beneath an open sky; she flung her head back and breathed in deeply, the warm, humid air feeling thick in her throat. The balcony sat just above the top of the jungle's blue-green canopy and the slanting rays of the sun backlit the tops of the taller plants, highlighting the contours with a dull gold. To the enchanted Hassinan it was as if a piece of glittering Slemmas cloth had been thrown down casually over the surface of the planet.
She stayed out on the balcony, chatting with Gzgh until the sun had set beyond the horizon and she could just begin to discern the faint glow of the stars. Mahrayne wanted to stay outside until nightfall, but Nonnia hadn't moved from her seat by the inner wall... maybe it was time to go back. Mahrayne yawned, surprising herself; the stress of the day was catching up with her.
Nonnia started awake at Mahrayne's light touch on her shoulder, and she smiled a little sheepishly.
"I must be getting old - I only closed my eyes for a moment."
Mahrayne chuckled and hugged her, keeping her arm around the older female's waist as Gzgh escorted them back down to their quarters.
Mahrayne was delighted to find the G'gecks had something similar to the Saiyan shower units, only these had several streams of water shooting out horizontally from small holes in the smooth wall. Mahrayne worked out the controls quickly enough, setting the temperature to a comfortable warmth, then she stripped and stepped into the multiple streams with a blissful sigh. She looked out past the curtain of water to see Nonnia staring at her; Mahrayne grinned and beckoned to the female. Nonnia looked doubtful but she slipped out of her robe and joined Mahrayne in the large cubicle. Mahrayne hid her grin at the look of startlement on the older female's face as she stepped into the spray. Nonnia stayed in only long enough to get completely soaked before stepping out and wrapping herself in one of the enormous, soft drying cloths that had been left for them - Mahrayne closed her eyes, revelling in the flowing water, and stayed under until the skin on her fingers wrinkled.
Both of the females were too tired to eat much, but they sat close to each other in comfortable silence and ate a little before climbing under the light fur coverings on the platform bed and curling around each other to sleep.
The G'geckans medical imaging technology was more advanced than the R'ren'nkh'ian equivalent and Mahrayne watched, intrigued - so intrigued she almost forgot to breathe - as her baby's internal organs were detailed on the monitor.
The medic pointed to the screen.
"We know your child has a Saiyan tail," he said.
Mahrayne had to grin - once again the appendage was curled up between the baby's legs, obscuring its gender.
"But here - " the G'geckan continued, "we can see a double stomach, which is a Hassinan adaptation, and from these readings here - " he pointed to another section of the screen, " - we can surmise the child's bone density is closer to Saiyan than Hassinan. This part of the brain - " he used one of his long, lateral tentacles to manipulate the imager's settings, " - shows an advanced development in the area that controls the senses."
Mahrayne considered the information. It looked like her child would have, at least in part, the enhanced senses of its father's race, as well as their physical toughness. Would her child be as strong as Zorun, she wondered? Or able to fly? She examined the image on the screen again; the Hassinan double stomach she knew had something to do with the ability to metabolise toxins, which was why the Hassinan could ingest things that would send other races to an agonised, screaming death...
The medic interrupted her thoughts.
"Would you like to know what sex the child is?" he asked.
"It's a male." Mahrayne said promptly, and smiled.
"How do you know?" the G'geck was curious.
"I threw the stones." Mahrayne said shyly.
"You 'threw the stones'?" the medic was obviously puzzled, not sure if he'd translated her words correctly.
"It's an old, old method of divination." Mahrayne explained, "The pattern the stones form when they land give answers to questions. I threw the stones three times and each time the answer was 'male'."
Nonnia clapped her hands and hugged Mahrayne tightly - after the conversation had been translated for her - pressing happy kisses to the younger female's cheek.
"A male! How wonderful!"
The G'geck stood by, his fringe of tentacles waving slightly in bemusement.
"Would you like to know the official results, or - "
Mahrayne beamed confidently at him.
"Thank you, but I'll trust the stones."
Mahrayne was happy and relieved; her baby was perfectly healthy and growing well, and with the new data gathered the medic was able to give her a slightly more accurate delivery date. If the child continued to develop at the same rate, Mahrayne could expect the pregnancy to continue for around another four hundred days - her baby was due sometime after the next deep-winter on Vejiitasei.
The females had a lot of time on their hands. Marldus had suggested they stay away for at least three days, and the tests Mahrayne had undergone had only taken up a few hours of the first day. Nonnia'd had the forethought to pack some needlework, and she sat quietly stitching when she wasn't with Mahrayne in the medical centre. Mahrayne found another way to pass the time - she had requested, and received, access to the G'geckan data retrieval network. To her mild annoyance, though, she was only given partial access. The blocking was skillfully done too, if she hadn't been as familiar with the system as she was - the Hassinan archive used the same technology - she would never have known there were areas she couldn't get into. Of course, not being able to view the data only made it that much more enticing, and she spent a lot of time trying to work around the restriction, with no success.
In the afternoon, after the morning spent in the medical centre, Mahrayne broached a painful subject with her tertera.
"Nonnia, have you ever wondered why you've never conceived?"
The older female stiffened, then looked downcast.
"Not really," she said quietly, "I've assumed it was simply fated."
Mahrayne proceeded with utmost delicacy and caution, ready to drop the subject entirely if Nonnia wasn't comfortable.
"The G'gecks are very good healers," Mahrayne said hesitantly, "maybe they can determine if there's a problem that can be fixed?"
Nonnia resisted the idea firmly, and Mahrayne said no more, but she watched the older female carefully. Nonnia was torn between the chance to have a child, and the possible consequences of trying to change her fate - the Hassinan had a lot of cautionary tales about that sort of thing, none of them with happy endings. Mahrayne didn't interfere - Nonnia would have to come to her own decision; but as she drifted off to sleep that night, cuddled into her tertera, she knew the older female would be lying awake for a long time…
The next day, Nonnia was quiet over the first meal. Eventually, she looked up at Mahrayne a little fearfully.
"I think - I think I would like to find out what the problem is," she said quickly, as if getting the words out before she could change her mind.
Mahrayne beamed and hugged her.
"We'll see to it right away."
Nonnia lay apprehensively on the examination table, clasping Mahrayne's hand tightly, and flinching as the medic carefully removed the thread-thin optical probe from her body.
"It can be fixed?" Mahrayne asked the medic.
"Yes, it is only a simple blockage of the gland."
Mahrayne looked at her tertera. "Do you want to have it fixed?"
Nonnia bit her lip, fear and indecision showing in her large, grey eyes.
"I - don't know. I'm not young anymore..."
"You're not that old - you've got at least twenty years of fertility left to you."
The older female gently twisted her hand out of Mahrayne's clasp.
"I'll have to think about it."
Mahrayne knew it wasn't her age that was concerning Nonnia, but Tella, and her possible reaction to her barren lover becoming pregnant after all this time, especially if Nonnia had a perfect child. But Nonnia would have to choose soon, they were due to go back to Hassina the next day.
In the end, Nonnia decided quite quickly. She approached her terteria early in the afternoon, while Mahrayne was still puzzling over how to – subtly - sneak past the 'barriers' in the data retrieval system.
"I'd like to get the problem fixed, but – " Nonnia said firmly as Mahrayne squeaked happily, "no one else is to know about it."
Mahrayne agreed, and immediately contacted the medical centre. By the end of the day, Nonnia was a little sore from the minor surgery, but also a little excited - despite her misgivings.
During their last night on G'geckah, Mahrayne stayed up late, long after Nonnia had gone to bed. She sat cross-legged on the observation balcony for hours, studying the cloudless night sky and comparing it with Vejiitasei's. Mahrayne discovered new pictures in the stars of her home system, and she happily 'told' her child the stories she wove around them. She reluctantly decided it was time to go to sleep when the stars began to fade in the muted light from the rising sun. Mahrayne smiled softly and promised her cub she'd bring him back here after he was born, then she'd tell him the stories again as they watched the stars together.
Nonnia was still apprehensive about space travel, but she wasn't quite as nervous on the trip back to Hassina. This time it was Mahrayne who was nervous, unsure of the reception waiting for her…
Marldus was there to meet them when they stepped out of the shuttle. Surprisingly, the Lead Speaker was alone - no aides, no advisors, none of the satellites that usually orbited him.
"Welcome back," he smiled at the females, "there's a supitso waiting, and if you'll allow me, I'll escort you back to the settlement. How was your journey?"
Nonnia shuddered. "I never want to do that again," she exclaimed softly, "being on another planet wasn't that bad, but the getting there…" the older female shuddered again.
Marldus's smile widened.
"Space travel can be disconcerting."
Mahrayne didn't doubt the Lead Speaker's good intentions in wanting to escort them back, but Marldus never did anything without layers of reasons. The fact he was here on his own automatically made her suspicious; she waited for him to reveal his real reason for meeting them.
Once the three of them were settled comfortably in the supitso and the door was closed, Marldus spoke:
"As we know, Mahrayne, your child is perfectly healthy - congratulations," he smiled warmly at her before becoming serious again, "but it will be for the best, I think, if Astolan's… mistake, is not made public."
"Mistake?!" Mahrayne snarled and Marldus held up his hand placatingly.
"Peace, daughter. Yes, his 'mistake'." The Lead Speaker spoke firmly. "We can't keep your pregnancy a secret - and there is no need to," he added smoothly as Mahrayne opened her mouth to protest, " - but there is also no need for your parents' unfortunate reaction to be known."
"Why not?" Mahrayne demanded. "They've acted abominably!"
Nonnia had been quiet, watching the exchange; she interjected softly now, lightly touching Mahrayne's forearm.
"Please just let it go, Mahrayne. It won't do anyone any good to know."
"It will do me good!" the younger female snapped, "It will give me great satisfaction knowing that others can finally see them for what they are!"
"It's not about you, though, is it, Mahrayne? Not the larger issue." Marldus's eyes flashed a warning. "We are a co-operative society. Our survival hinges on us functioning as a single unit. Any issue that can split - divide the unit must be avoided!"
Mahrayne glared at him. She knew he was right, the Hassinans' position was precarious at the best of times, they couldn't afford dissension - but dammit Astolan and Tella had been going to kill her baby!
"Mahrayne, please…" Nonnia was pleading with her.
"Both Astolan and Tella have agreed to keep silence on this," Marldus said.
"They would," Mahrayne grumbled. "Being known as child murderers would hardly enhance their standings." She crossed her arms and scowled at Marldus. "Very well, I concede your point -" he looked relieved, and Nonnia sighed audibly. " - but don't ever expect me to forgive them!"
Mahrayne ignored Marldus and Nonnia for the rest of the journey, retreating into a sullen silence. Under the furs she'd wrapped around herself, she stroked her abdomen gently and 'spoke' to her child, assuring him of her love for him and promising that she would never let anyone hurt him.
She contacted Leteetza as soon as she got back to the settlement.
"Finally!" the little female exclaimed. "Are you all right?"
Mahrayne forced herself to smile.
"Yes, everything's fine."
"What was the problem?"
Mahrayne paused. "It's been dealt with."
Leteetza scowled, her tail twitching with annoyance.
" - which translates as you're not going to tell me!"
"What would be the point? There's no problem any more." Mahrayne smoothly cut off the Saiyan's reply. "How are the preparations for the trip going?"
Leteetza didn't look happy at the change of subject, but she didn't pursue it - much to Mahrayne's relief. The Hassinan had initially intended to tell her friend the whole sorry story, but some instinct had warned her against involving the Saiyan.
Mahrayne was unsure of how her pregnancy would be received - by now the news would have spread beyond Astolan's area - and she paused outside the entrance to Marldus's settlement, suddenly nervous.
"'rayne!" It was Pirum, shrieking happily as she impacted with her older sister even before she had fully stepped into the common area of her father's household, "you're going to have a baby!"
"I know, precious," Mahrayne laughed and hugged her.
Mahrayne shouldn't have worried. While there were a few disapproving looks, the majority of the females were happy for her, and some were even a little awe-struck - an imperfect female bearing a perfect child was like something out of a legend. Some of the other ineligible females were especially - almost superstitiously - respectful to her now, an attitude which made Mahrayne feel uncomfortable: she put a lot of energy into dispelling any myths before they could form.
And of course, now that she was considered to be a breeding female, Mahrayne was expected to contribute to the discussions about sex. She was reluctant to participate at first, not entirely comfortable with discussing something that she'd been forbidden to do, but eventually she let herself be coaxed into sharing her experiences with Zorun. Mahrayne didn't mention Ti'aasaan, or Jeice, which was probably just as well as some of the females had enough problems coping with the idea of a male with a tail let alone an hermaphrodite or a small, sexually talented alien with bits of metal through his body.
The family left on their excursion. Mahrayne had farewelled the excited children - and adults - over the video-link, promising to contact them every few days, extracting a promise in return that they would tell her everything about their trip.
It wasn't as bad without them as she'd imagined it would be; for one thing, it meant she got to spend a few hours a day exclusively with 'tiisaan and 'viirel. And now that the worry over her pregnancy had been relieved, Mahrayne found she was generally less anxious, less likely to let things upset her. She mentioned this to Nonnia who smiled and gently reminded her that a female's emotions evened out in the middle part of their pregnancy.
Mahrayne finally got to meet Bri'seiyis, the zn'hre who wrote music for 'tiisaan and 'viirel. She was mesmerised by his unusual, striking blue eyes and his wonderfully deep and musical voice before it occurred to her that he didn't seem to be as beautiful as other zn'hre she'd seen. Not that it was important - there was something deeply compelling about Bri'seiyis. He joined the two young zn'hre in the classroom most mornings after their lessons, and the four of them had many involved discussions about dance and music. Mahrayne started dancing again and she realised, with something close to shock, how depressed she must have been to have stopped dancing.
Although Mahrayne's good humour had returned and she was happier than she had been since arriving back, she was still not happy. The loneliness was never far from the surface and she still fiercely missed her life, and friends, and lovers, on Vejiitasei.
She took the opportunity while the family was away to get some more skin-beads. Acipenser, the old female who had set most of Mahrayne's other beads, was long dead, but there were still quite a few skilled bead-setters within the settlement. One of them was Peruro, one of the two females Mahrayne had been teaching Common. Mahrayne had no hesitation in asking the young female to set her new beads; Peruro had, after all, set Mahrayne's thigh beads several years ago when she was Acipenser's apprentice, and Mahrayne had been very pleased with her work. Peruro was delighted to be asked, and as Mahrayne knew exactly what she wanted, and was able to accurately draw the pattern, they were able to get to work on the beads quickly.
Dignusia scooped up Pirum -who'd insisted on coming along with Mahrayne - and kept the child entertained and out of the way while Peruro worked. Meanwhile, in Peruro and Dignusia's alcove, Mahrayne slipped out of her robe and stood naked and nervous as Peruro knelt on a thick rug and readied the awl and beads. The pretty female grinned and handed Mahrayne a small measure of dilly - just enough to relax her. Mahrayne sat down when she felt the narcotic begin to take effect, and sighed dreamily, remembering the last time she'd used the drug, and Kel's part in her pleasure. With Peruro's help, Mahrayne positioned herself for the setting - lying on her front with her legs folded up under her, her body comfortably supported by cushions and her head resting on her folded arms. Peruro brushed the thick white rope of Mahrayne's hair away from her neck and stroked gently down the female's spine. Mahrayne shuddered at her touch, thoughts of Kelapa strong enough to actively arouse her even through the sedative. Peruro stroked Mahrayne's back again, down to the cleft of her buttocks: Mahrayne moaned softly.
"Let me help, Mahrayne," Peruro's voice was gentle.
Mahrayne nodded and closed her eyes as Peruro's warm and deft hands softly brought her to a languid, sweet orgasm. Mahrayne thought of Kel as she slipped down into a dilly- tinted sleep.
Mahrayne's new beads took several hours – spread over three days – to complete. It was another three uncomfortable days before the bindings came off and yet another five days before the pain and swelling had completely disappeared, but Mahrayne, and Peruro, were very pleased with the results.
There was a flying insect on Vejiitasei that Mahrayne thought was particularly beautiful. It had a long, slim, brightly coloured body - usually in shades of red, but she'd seen oranges and dark-yellows as well – and it flitted about on a single pair of graceful, delicately veined wings that shimmered in the diffuse light of the forest undergrowth like new-cut gems. Mahrayne now had a stylised version of this insect patterned in beads on her back. The 'body' of the insect – a finely beaded outline filled with delicate curling fronds that matched the fronds on her breast beads - followed her spine from the nape of her neck to the cleft of her buttocks. The insect's 'wings' fanned out symmetrically over her shoulder blades in a series of fluid lines whose tips curled under to form the bottom arc of the wing.
Reaction to her new beads was mixed; it wasn't a traditional design and there were those who didn't like it because of that, but as with all the other eccentric ideas Mahrayne had introduced over the years, this different style of patterning was - if not widely embraced - then seen as a harmless curiosity.
As promised, Mahrayne contacted the family every few days during their excursion. The children's projects were generally coming on very well; they were producing some excellent work - even if a couple of the less determined students had to be firmly encouraged to stay on track. Mahrayne was intrigued – and terribly envious – when Leteetza told her about their discovery in the mountains. That, and the little female's description of the R'ren'nkh'ian library, had made Mahrayne salivate; all that knowledge, just waiting there to be discovered.
Mahrayne's eyes widened as a thought occurred: all she had to do was learn the language…
"Do you think there's someone who could teach me the written form of formal R'ren'nkh'ia-go?" she asked Leteetza.
The little female frowned. "Why?"
"Because it's beautiful – and the more people able to help with the High King's project the quicker it will be finished…"
"…and you just can't bear the thought of being left out of the discoveries!" Mahrayne coloured slightly, and Leteetza smirked at her.
"Please can we just ask?" Mahrayne's eyes were huge and pleading.
"You're already learning Korijin, and Muruanian, and that other one that sounds like the brats whining – why do you want to learn another language? Doesn't it get confusing?"
Mahrayne shook her head and smiled.
"Not at all - they're all very different. Ellim, for example - the one you so prettily described as 'brats whining' -" Mahrayne grinned, "is quite complicated, while Korijin is structurally very simple, but it has an astonishing vocabulary. Do you know the Korijin have over a thousand words for ice?"
Leteetza blinked. "Why?"
"Each word describes a particular type of ice - like the blue-tinted ice viewed when the rays of morning sun first strikes it; or the pink ice under the dark night sky. It's fascinating!"
The little female snorted. "Sounds like too much work to me. Why are you so interested in languages?"
Mahrayne shrugged. "Don't know, I always have been. I used to make my own up when I was younger."
Leteetza laughed and the Hassinan smiled wryly. "It was very simple, just a derivative of standard Hassinan, and ultimately useless as I was the only one who spoke it!"
Mahrayne caught movement out of the corner of her eye; she glanced away from the screen and beckoned her little sister into the room.
"Pirum has just come in," she told Leteetza, "would it be all right if she talks to Buahan for a little while?" Leteetza nodded and called the young Saiyan female over to the screen.
"Please can you ask his majesty about me learning R'ren'nkh'ia-go?" Mahrayne requested over the animated chatter of the two youngsters. Leteetza rolled her eyes.
"All right, I'll ask, but I'm not promising anything."
Time ground on as it always had on Hassina – slowly. Mahrayne had plenty to keep her occupied but still she counted down each day until she could go home.
Home. The first time she'd consciously thought of Vejiitasei as home, she'd been startled and unnerved, feeling disloyal somehow; Hassina was where she'd been born and raised, that made it her home didn't it? Mahrayne had experienced a tiny pang of sadness when she finally admitted to herself that Hassina wasn't her home anymore and she would only ever come back to visit. Her heart was on Vejiitasei and, she stroked her distended abdomen, her life - Mahrayne was impatient to get back to it.
Ientus and Iocor, her brother's first females, were welcomed into Astolan's household. The young females were given their own alcove, which they shared with their mothers while the older females stayed with them for a short time; their father, Furax, meanwhile was enjoying the hospitality of the males' quarters. Ientus and Iocor weren't particularly bright, Mahrayne thought, but they were quite pretty and very sweet.
The sisters were wide-eyed with wonder when they realised that Mahrayne – the Mahrayne who'd been gifted to an alien male – was their male's sister.
It made it sound like her parents had been complicit, and Mahrayne chuckled at the irony, but it also gave her a malicious satisfaction knowing that news of her 'exploits' had spread outside the settlement; neither Tella or Astolan would be pleased about that.
As was traditional, the new females spent a few days acclimatizing and learning the ways of their male's household before they were finally introduced to him. To Mahrayne's delight, and Tella's tight-lipped disapproval, Ientus and Iocor spent a lot of time with her, eager to learn something of Malum. It made sense that they'd approached her, Mahrayne explained to Nonnia later, she'd helped raise Malum and she was the only one of the females in his household who had any contact with the young male since his mother had died. During her chats with the sisters, Mahrayne took the opportunity to sound them out on a couple of subjects. Yes, they'd been having sex with each other for years – no surprise there, and no, they didn't mind the idea at all of going to Malum together, in fact they went delightfully wide-eyed and giggly when Mahrayne suggested it.
The sisters' rapt attention to Mahrayne when she gave them some candid advice on what to do with Malum, was very gratifying, and even though as dancers Ientus and Iocor didn't come anywhere near Mahrayne's skill level, they still managed to quickly pick up the basics of the arousing dances Jeice had taught Mahrayne. And when others saw what she was teaching to the newcomers, Mahrayne found herself with an eager, and growing, group of students clamouring for her to teach them the new forms.
The 'courtship' phase of a gifting took days, with several well-chaperoned visits between the male and his females. Ientus and Iocor shyly asked Mahrayne if she could accompany them on these visits along with their parents. Mahrayne was pleased to be included – she'd never taken part in anything like this – and it gave her an excellent opportunity to tease her little brother. Malum flushed when he first saw her in the party that accompanied his females, his composure not helped at all by Mahrayne's wicked grin, but his sister's presence did seem to help him relax through the rigidly proper, interminable meetings.
At last it was time for the sisters to say goodbye to their parents as they returned to their household, before Mahrayne escorted the giggling pair to the private caverns where they would be left alone with their male. Traditionally, a newly gifted pair could spend as long together as they liked this first time; the restrictions on time came later, especially when a male had been gifted with more females. Mahrayne took it as a good sign that the trio didn't emerge for several days.
When the sisters did come back to the household, Ientus and Iocor immediately descended on Mahrayne to give her their gushing thanks, and an enthusiastic description of their first mating. Ientus confided to Mahrayne in a breathless whisper that she and her sister hoped they weren't pregnant so they'd be able to go to Malum again soon.
That made Mahrayne think… Traditionally a pregnant female didn't go back to their male until the child was four years old. Why?
She asked Nonnia and Pinguis about it but neither of the older females could think of a good reason, though Nonnia maintained there must have been a reason for the restriction initially. Pinguis hazarded a guess that intercourse early in a pregnancy might disrupt the foetus, to which Mahrayne, her tawny eyes twinkling with amusement, had told the old teverdia she'd coupled vigorously with her child's father to no ill effect even before she realised she was pregnant. But even if there was a risk to the child during pregnancy, what was stopping a female going back to her male soon after the child was born, or at least after it was weaned? Wouldn't an earlier return to mating give more chances of breeding anyway? Pinguis frowned in thought and said she'd discuss this novel ideal with the other teverdias.
Ientus and Iocor were very vocal about their pleasure, and satisfaction, in going to Malum at the same time. Mahrayne was genuinely happy it had been a positive experience for the trio - she'd teased an admission of satisfaction out of the furiously blushing Malum shortly after his females had returned. Mahrayne hoped the sisters' happiness would prove to the stone-minded females who'd objected to the unusual mating, that simply because something had been done one way for time immemorial, didn't mean it couldn't be done differently.
It was almost FullMoon on Vejiitasei; Mahrayne spoke to Leteetza the day she and Radittsu were due to return for the season. Mahrayne had to smile at her friend; that the little female was excited was an understatement. She was fairly glowing with energy and she couldn't keep her tail still - it flicked and curled and coiled in a mesmerisingly sensual fashion.
"Have fun." Mahrayne grinned.
"Oh, I will." Leteetza smirked, "I'll give Kel a hug for you - if I've got time."
Mahrayne laughed, and Leteetza closed the connection.
The Hassinan felt a twist of anticipation deep inside.
Almost FullMoon - almost time to go home.
© 2002 June 6th Amanda Mullane
